than before until fully one-half the distance from Mrs. Weber's to aunt
Dorcas's had been traversed.

Light though the burden was, his arms ached from long carrying the
child, and it seemed absolutely necessary to come to a halt.

The princess was more than willing to take advantage of the opportunity
to search for flowers or wintergreen plums by the roadside, and Joe
stretched himself out at full length on the cool grass, keeping jealous
watch all the while over the happy little girl.

Dan seated himself near by, having once more assumed an air of injured
innocence, and Master Potter could not longer delay having an
understanding with this boy, who was bent on claiming even more than his
right.

"So you're bound on goin' straight to aunt Dorcas's with me?" he said,
after a brief pause.

"It's got to be that, or jail."

"I don't see why; there are other places 'round here besides hers."

"Yes; but I ain't sure of gettin' into 'em for nothin'. When you strike
a house where Plums is so contented, it must be a pretty soft snap."

"It ain't certain you can get in there, an' it's dead sure you're
drivin' the princess an' me away."

"I ain't doin' anything of the kind. You're gettin' on your ear 'cause I
want to be treated decent, that's the size of it."

"You know very well we can't ask that poor little woman to take care of
four, an' somebody must go, if you're comin'. Now, of course, I must
take the princess with me, an' I don't want to leave the very minute I
get there. Will you hang off a couple of days, an' give me a chance to
find out how I can fix things?"

"I'd starve to death in two days, an' you know it."

"That's all foolishness; you've got plenty of money in your pocket that
was borrowed from the fellers to help Plums an' me through."

"I haven't so much that I can go sportin' 'round the country like a
swell, have I?"

"You've got enough to keep you from starvin' for a week."

"All the same, I'm goin' to live with you an' Plums," Dan replied,
doggedly, and Joe remained silent while one might have counted twenty,
after which he said, with the air of a boy who has suddenly decided upon
a course of action:

"Mis' Weber gave me back ninety cents. Now I'll turn over seventy-five
of it if you agree not to show up at aunt Dorcas's until three o'clock
to-morrow afternoon."

"What kind of a game are you tryin' to play on me now?" Master Fernald
asked, suspiciously.

"It ain't any game. I'm hirin' yo